Playing imports on Slim 90001

[dlanor]

I have no idea what that is, lol. I really don't know anything about this stuff. That's why I was hoping for a simple swap method.

Swap methods may be simple, but they wear out both CDVD drive and discs, and for a slim PS2 they also require you to perform some disc sensor mods, one of which requires you to open the console and remove the bottom part of the cover.

FMCB on the other hand (== Free MC Boot) is something we can 'simply' install to a memory card and then use to boot the console into a homebrew program loaded from that MC. And through that homebrew we can then launch backup games in a number of different ways.

The current favourite method with many people (myself included) is to use the program OPL (Open PS2 Loader) to launch games stored on a Windows PC, using normal Windows filesharing methods to run the games over LAN.

Another way that is very popular, and for some games still the best choice (as it gives near 100% compatibility as well as full CDVD speed) is the program ESR, which uses normal DVD-R (or DVD+R) discs for the backups, but with the ISO files patched in a specific way before burning to disc.

But unfortunately a commercial project also used some of the methods of FMCB and ESR in similar (though not identical) ways, and when Sony learned of this they put a stop to it by removing the bios feature that both that project and the FMCB project rely on for booting.

That is why FMCB can not be used on consoles with bios v2.30, which was introduced during the production quarter when consoles where stamped with the datecode 8C. So early consoles from that quarter will work with FMCB but later ones will not. And yours could be one of those, though that is as yet unconfirmed.


But that is no cause for despair, as you will still be able to use most of the other homebrew tools. It is just that before using them you will need to use some other method than FMCB to boot into a homebrew launch center. (uLaunchELF aka: uLE is recommended)

One such alternate boot method is to buy the "Swap Magic v3.8 Coder" discs (aka: SM3Coder), same as you would buy for using the swapping methods, but then use these not for swapping at all, but merely to boot a homebrew program file either from a USB drive or from a PS2 MC, as SM3Coder supports doing this.

Booting into uLaunchELF by that method (from USB the first time, and then copying it to MC) will allow you to use nearly all homebrews just as conveniently as when booting with FMCB. The only difference is that you will need an SM3Coder disc in the tray each time you turn on or reset the console.

But that is not a problem when you use backups without physical discs through OPL, as you can then leave the SM3Coder disc in the tray at all times, even when you are playing a game. This is how I do it with one of my consoles, which has the new bios and is thus unable to use FMCB.

Best regards: dlanor

[BahamutLagoon]

Thanks for all of the information. So I read up on Free McBoot but I ran into a problem; whenever I start my PS2 up with Code Breaker and with the USB flashdrive in it, it doesn't actually load. I hear it start to load and then it just stops. I also tried inserting the USB drive after Code Breaker already loaded and it just freezes up.

I formatted the drive correctly and put on the correct files.

[dlanor]

Thanks for all of the information. So I read up on Free McBoot but I ran into a problem; whenever I start my PS2 up with Code Breaker and with the USB flashdrive in it, it doesn't actually load. I hear it start to load and then it just stops. I also tried inserting the USB drive after Code Breaker already loaded and it just freezes up.

CodeBreaker always freezes when run on a late-model slim console. It does not work at all on the v18 model (SCPH-900xx), and even on a v15 model (SCPH-770xx) it will always freeze when any USB device is connected.

Using CodeBreaker together with a USB drive can not be done on any model later than v13 I think (SCPH-700xx), and I'm not even sure if it works there.

I formatted the drive correctly and put on the correct files.

Many people have problems running the FMCB installer on their own, which is why we have the FMCB installer volunteer service. Browse inside the Homebrew/Dev forum, and inside its subforum for FMCB to find the volunteer list in one of the 'sticky' threads.

This service will allow you to get FMCB installed without any personal work, and at cost only of two-way postage and packing (dual bubble-wrap envelopes are required, for your safety). Read more about this in that volunteer list thread.

Best regards: dlanor

[BahamutLagoon]

I was just reading that the Swap Magic 3.8 method does work on my particular console. I have a friend who happens to have that so I may try it first before I decide to send my system off.

[dlanor]

I was just reading that the Swap Magic 3.8 method does work on my particular console. I have a friend who happens to have that so I may try it first before I decide to send my system off.

Good, then you can easily use this to find out what bios your console has, and thus whether or not it will be possible for you to use FMCB.

To do this, use a PC to format a USB drive to FAT32, and create a "SWAPMAGIC" folder in its root directory, and inside that folder place a copy of the BOOT.ELF file from any recent uLaunchELF release, but rename that copy to "SWAPMAGIC.ELF".

Then insert that USB drive in your PS2 and boot the SwapMagic disc, which should then boot up uLaunchELF from that USB drive. In the uLE menu you should then see the FileBrowser entry, which you should then use by pressing 'Circle', which brings you to the root directory of that browser, at the bottom line of which you should see "MISC/", which is a pseudo-folder holding subprograms built into uLE.

Move the highlight cursor down to "MISC/" using the DPad, and then press 'Circle' again to see the subprogram list, where you then step the highlight cursor to the second entry from the bottom, named "Debug Info", where you again press 'Circle'.

This will show you some debug information, including one entry near the top, which looks something like this:

rom0:ROMVER == "0230EC20080220"

The above example is from my own SCPH-90004 with bios v2.30 that makes FMCB use impossible, and it is the first part of the string, the "0230" that proves this to be the case. If you have the same, then you too will need to use SwapMagic in all future homebrew boots, but if you instead have "0220" as the start of that string, then you are all set for installing FMCB. And doing this should be dead easy with access to a borrowed SwapMagic disc like this. Then you just place an FMCB noobie package on the same USB drive, and use uLE as booted by SwapMagic to launch the FMCB installer in that package.

On the other hand, if you do have bios v2.30, then FMCB is not an option and you will need SwapMagic. But you should then consider the fact that as long as you don't use it for physical disc swapping, a single SM3Coder package will suffice for two users, since it contains both a CD and a DVD disc. So you can split the cost with some other user who also wants such a disc for homebrew booting, just like yourself. And if the friend you mentioned who already has SwapMagic also uses it just like that, then you might talk him into letting you buy one of his discs.

It is only those who use the SwapMagic metod of disc-swapping to run backups that need both the CD and DVD discs, and anyone with access to ESR and OPL has no reason to run backups by disc-swapping. I have never done so myself, for example, and for good reason, as it is harmful both to the CDVD drive and to the discs.

Best regards: dlanor